Leaving behind the rugged majesty of Cape Perpetua, we cycle 175 miles south

​… ​Beyond that, the landscape we enter feels remote, more a part of the Siskiyou Mountains than the state of Oregon. Rock pillars stand in the sea. A taste of southern warmth pervades the air. When we reach the town of Port Orford, home of Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve, we see why so many people have described it to us as isolated, beyond the reach of the factionalism we saw along the rest of the Oregon Coast — uniquely positioned to own and take pride in its new marine reserve, to weave it into the local scene.

If community involvement in Oregon’s new marine reserves can be compared to undersea ecosystems, where a healthy dynamic requires a diversity of species filling many niches, Port Orford has a reputation for being the most robust community ecosystem of them all. In our minds, Port Orford has grown into a shining town on a coastal hill.​..​